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The Band Goes Back to School

In September, we all went back to school. Jim’s a teacher; he headed back to work after a summer off. Pete and Ed went to California to racing school, and Mark started a class in something called “Sensory Evaluation” — it’s a wine thing. I started a ten week writing class. Oh, and Ed got a new job, too. So if we’ve been quiet – not in our nature – that’s why. We’ve been learnin’.

We’re still quietly wading – again, that quiet thing is not in our DNA — through a lot of band projects, though. Mark has been doing the heavy lifting on the production stuff we have going, as our producer and editor and guy who glues the digital pieces together, he’s had a full plate of mixing and remixing and recording and rerecording and splicing and filing and generally putting things in order, sometimes while indulging a certain (non) Diva’s desire to “lay that track down again please, it’s just not doing it for me.”

You might know by now that we do everything – nearly everything – ourselves. We’ve had photographers and, recently, a video producer, work with us from time to time, but booking, promotions, production, communication, arrangement, most of our sound (sometimes, we’re lucky and we get a guy with the stage but usually, nope) those great posters, our web site, logistics… you get the drill… that’s all us. Things slow down sometimes because we’re tackling something called a “corkscrew curve” or wrangling 4th graders. That’s where we’ve been. Studying oenology and the narrative arc and shaping future generations, that’s all. Rock and roll!

Now that we’re knee deep in fall, we’re playing more shows. We were so happy to be back on the tiny stage at Urban Coffee Lounge — we missed you guys! We played a second show at the Feedback Lounge, a bar that has arguably the best cocktails in Seattle, to a full house. We’re doing another show at C&P Coffee this fall, a place where we feel so welcome and, let’s be honest, buzzed on their brew. It’s great to be making noise again.

You guys are kind of a big production! — Tim, Feedback Lounge

We got Sixer, our EP, into the digital world – get a download now, it’s only six bucks! This means you can take our music with you, like that nice woman who thought we’d be the perfect soundtrack for her cabin near Talkeetna, Alaska. It’s not quite like being on tour, but we can pretend. The DIY nature of how we roll means that our next release will be ready when it’s ready, and not a minute before, but that will be available as a download too, so you won’t have to come see us to get it.

But you should. Because – we can’t say this enough – we love it when you come out and say hello in person. Pete never gets tired of explaining that yes, that sound is coming from that box. And those of us on the uke, we enjoy your uke stories, it’s fun to know that you’re teaching yourself Skynyrd on that uke your uncle found in his attic or that your kid insisted she wanted nothing more than a ukulele for her birthday this year, and oops, now you can’t put it down.

We’re always looking for new places to play, so if your local café or pub has live music, put in a good word for us or get in touch, wouldja? In the meantime, we hope you’re spending fall learning new things and that back to school, whatever that means for you, has rocked.